Nowruz (Persian New Year) – A collection of reports and photos about Nowruz, the Iranian (Persian) New Year, which is celebrated worldwide by various ethno-linguistic groups.
Attempts to have Persian language eliminated will lead to exclusion of an important part of culture from the history of regional countries; including the Iranian New Year festival.
The Boloni ritual, a less-known ritual performed in Iran during Nowruz holidays, predicts the good and bad events of the New Year for the person doing it based on the country’s literary heritage and the Iranian people’s belief in good and bad luck.
While Iran is celebrating Nowruz under the shadow of the coronavirus epidemic, President Hassan Rouhani has also delivered his new year speech to the nation in markedly different conditions.
As a common practice among the people of different cultures or the first days of New Year, Iranians serve their traditional dishes, such as Sabzi Polo, on the initial days of Nowruz.
Iranian people observe many traditional customs ahead of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. One of them is a ceremony called “No-Usti” held in Ardabil on the last Wednesday of Iranian calendar year.
Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has agreed to pardon or commute the sentences of a large number of Iranian convicts on the occasion of the Muslim festive days in the lunar month of Rajab and also the Nowruz holidays.
Iran’s deputy industry minister says the production, supply, and distribution of the people's urgent needs, especially those related to the COVID-19 disease will not be interrupted with the beginning of efforts to clear the streets.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Iran has forced the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism to abort the nationwide Nowruz celebrations and enforce the closure of all museums as well as the cultural and historic sites in the new year’s holidays across the country.
Iran has cancelled the Nowruz international celebrations which were to be held in Kurdistan province due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in the Islamic Republic and the region.
Iran’s Judiciary Chief Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi has ordered the courts across the country to grant the eligible prisoners leave for the new Iranian year’s holidays (mid-March) until April 3, also as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic.
Based on an old tradition, Iranian people all over the country clean their houses before the beginning of spring, and the Persian New Year holidays known as Nowruz.
The ceremony of celebrating Nowruz with the Dead is held every year in the village of Saqandin Kola in Sari County of Mazandaran province on the first Friday after the 13th of Farvardin which is the first month of the year in Iranian calendar.
One of the most delicious homemade sweets prepared for the Persian New Year is Sohan Asali, which is a combination of honey and Sohan, a traditional saffron brittle toffee indigenous to Iran.
Chickpea cookie is one of the most popular sweets baked for the Persian New Year holidays. It is served during Persian New Year visits among families and friends.
Iran’s president has, in separate messages, congratulated several heads of state on the arrival of Nowruz, which marks the start of the Persian New Year and is celebrated in many countries.
